1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of electrical cable assemblies, and particularly to an electrical cable assembly comprising an electrical cable end connector and an electrical coaxial cable electrically connected to the electrical cable end connector, and a method for making the electrical cable assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Referring to FIG. 12, an electrical cable end connector (not shown) of a conventional electrical cable assembly is connected to a coaxial cable 8 using an intermediary printed circuit board 9. Center conductors 811 of wires 81 of the coaxial cable 8 are electrically connected to solder pads 91 on one side face of the printed circuit board 9. Metallic braids 812 of the wires 81 are electrically connected to solder pads (not shown) on an opposite side face of the printed circuit board 9. When the number of the wires 81 is large, directly soldering the conductors 811 and the metallic braids 812 to the printed circuit board 9 without providing a pre-support to the wires 81 is inefficient and time-consuming, and yields unreliable quality in the end product. Additionally, the conventional cable assembly is not very durable since the printed circuit board/coaxial cable connection is easily destroyed when an outward pull force is applied to the cable 8.
Therefore, an improved electrical cable assembly and a method for making the same are required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
A first object of the present invention is to provide an electrical cable assembly having reliable quality; and
A second object of the present invention is to provide an efficient and reliable method for making an electrical cable assembly.
An electrical cable assembly in accordance with the present invention comprises an electrical cable end connector, a printed circuit board and a coaxial cable electrically connected to the electrical cable end connector by way of the printed circuit board. The cable end connector comprises an insulative housing supporting the printed circuit board and a plurality of electrical contacts mounted in the insulative housing and electrically connected to the printed circuit board. The coaxial cable comprises a plurality of wires each comprising an electrical conductor and a metallic braid coaxially shielding the electrical conductor. The wires of the coaxial cable extend through the printed circuit board from one side face to a second side face of the printed circuit board. The metallic braids and the electrical conductors of the coaxial cable are respectively soldered to different rows of solder pads on the second side face of the printed circuit board.
A method for making the electrical cable assembly comprises the steps of: 1). providing an electrical cable end connector comprising an insulative housing and a plurality of electrical contacts mounted in the insulative housing; 2). providing a printed circuit board having first and second parallel rows of soldering pads on one side face thereof; 3). providing a coaxial cable comprising a plurality of wires each comprising an electrical center conductor and a metallic braid shielding the electrical center conductor; 4). extending the wires of the coaxial cable through the printed circuit board and retaining the wires between the two parallel rows of solder pads of the printed circuit board; 5). stripping off the metallic braids of the wires and exposing the electrical center conductors; 6). soldering the electrical center conductors and the metallic braids to the first and second rows of solder pads, respectively; and 7). engaging the printed circuit board with the insulative housing and electrically connecting the electrical contacts to the printed circuit board.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.